Give the gift of Pennsylvania pride
Doing holiday shopping for the Pennsylvanian in your life? We've got some great ideas to help you rep the Commonwealth while supporting local businesses.
Buy local, play global
The founder of Whole Wide World Toys spent years traveling the globe with her family before settling in Hershey and launching this innovative company. Their beautiful playsets prepare kids for a changing world, encouraging cultural literacy — priming them to study abroad, pursue cross-cultural job opportunities and seek out diverse communities.
Green Design: Getting passive aggressive
A NEPA architecture firm is designing award-winning green homes, employing a cutting-edge method that uses 80 percent less energy than conventional buildings.
Self-driving cars rev up Pittsburgh's tech sector
Pittsburgh is a global hub for the autonomous vehicle industry, with a hotbed of study at Carnegie Mellon and a plethora of thriving startups — including one that received a $1 billion investment from Ford. Recent setbacks have made national news, but this PA city is still betting big on self-driving cars.
Building York 2.0
Inspired by the 1940 York Plan, an initiative that boosted manufacturing during World War II, the York Plan 2.0 is a rethinking of the city's economy around robotics and a 240,000-square-foot innovation district.
From Pittsburgh's last brownfield, a new neighborhood emerges
Hazelwood Green, a new mixed-use, environmentally sustainable development, is rising on 178 acres along the Monongahela River where steel was once manufactured.
A more sustainable Philadelphia? Green Building United is on the case
With a new name and a new goal, this longstanding Philadelphia institution is continuing its mission to promote sustainable design and construction, while spearheading an ambitious effort to foster a greener city by cutting energy, water use and emissions in half.
Handmade in PA: Stunning ceramics from the state's artisans
While many of the Commonwealth’s large tableware manufacturers have moved production overseas, a vibrant community of craftspeople remain committed to creating functional one-of-a-kind plates, bowls, mugs, vases and more, inspired by everything from Japanese design to traditional German redware. This holiday season, set your table with a piece of Pennsylvania.
Channeling da Vinci, the Science Center investigates the art of science
This Philadelphia institution has embarked on a new, interdisciplinary collaboration: Local artist Orkan Telhan is observing experiments and shadowing scientists in the labs at Integral Molecular, a uCity Square-based biotechnology company.
A State College project aims to make green homes affordable
Often the greenest new homes are also the most expensive. GreenBuild, a partnership between Penn State and the State College Community Land Trust, is looking to solve that problem with a net-zero energy duplex that will be affordable both to purchase and to live in.